An In-depth Look into Different Types of Grass Weeds

Owning a home with a backyard means you have a lot of work on your hands when it comes to taking care of your lawns and gardens. You must ensure they retain their beauty for as long as possible by undertaking regular gardening work and maintenance to prevent excess weed growth in the garden. No one likes the idea of working with weed occurrence every year that pollinate in multiple ways.

So how can weeds get transported into your backyard? Through the following:

Wind

Birds

Insects

Footwear

Relocated Soil

Lawn Mowers

Any soil patch contains millions of tiny weed seeds. These seeds can remain dormant for hundreds of years. Seeds sprout and cause backyard problems during permissive conditions. You will need to treat your backyard appropriately by first identifying the weeds so that appropriate control can be taken.

Here is a comprehensive list of frequently occurring weeds and how you can treat your backyard so that weed growth is minimized.

Annual Bluegrass

Annual Bluegrass is a type of weed that occurs every year. This weed usually thrives in winter. Annual Bluegrass comes in a number of diverse species -- some of them are perennial and some are short lived. Annual Bluegrass cannot sustain in hot and dry climates. They thrive on irrigated and water logged soil.

Growth Pattern

Leaves of the bluegrass are generally long and membranous. They germinate towards the end of summer and persist through the remaining year.

Appearance

These weeds cannot be differentiated from normal grass. However, they can be identified against close-cut turf with their long leaves.

Prevention and Removal

If you fear that you have a grass weed problem, you may want to undertake the following:

Call in a professional expert to identify your weed issues to ensure proper care is taken.It’s best to get rid of the bluegrass by spraying herbicide or adding mulch to the garden just before summer ends.

Soil should be aerated and compost should be added to ensure that your garden doesn’t remain waterlogged. This protects the healthy grass varieties to prevent them from getting damaged due to the excess water.

Crabgrass

Crabgrass is one of the most common garden weeds that you’ll find today. They are annual weeds that grow in summer. Crabgrass tends to die at the first sight of frost. They are also known by the names of summer grass, water grass and crowfoot. Keep in mind that each crabgrass plant can produce over 150,000 weeds.

Growth Pattern

Crabgrass follows this growth pattern:

They germinate in spring when the soil temperature is perfect.

If they are not tended to, their blades can grow as long as 6 inches.

Even crabgrass that is as small as one-fourth of an inch is able to pollinate.

Appearance

Crabgrass can be easily identified. They usually grow in clumps and are lighter in color than normal grass. These grass weeds grow anywhere that the stem makes contact with the soil and the heads of the seeds tend to spread out like the four fingers of a hand.

Common Chickweed

Common Chickweed is a very common weed found throughout the world. They are annual weeds that grow in winter and sustain in waterlogged and highly irrigated soil. Common chickweed is home to a wide species of insects and pests that pose an intense threat to your healthy grass.

Growth Pattern

Common chickweed has the following growth pattern:

Common chickweed has a height of not more than 2 inches in a normal lawn.

In shady areas they can grow as tall as 5 to 6 inches.

Common chickweed spreads very fast -- they start producing seeds only after 5 weeks of germination.

Appearance

This weed has small white flowers with five white petals. Common chickweed leaves have high water content with a matte-like finish.

Removal

Unchecked chickweed will result in a battered lawn in no time. This makes it very important to clear out the weed.

Using your hand to remove the plants is a good way to rid your garden of common chickweed.

Chemicals should only be used when the infestation covers a large area and you can’t do it on your own.

Prevention and Removal

Mulching is also a great way to prevent the unnecessary growth of clovers.

Additional Tip: Here’s something you should know. Most grass weeds are typically harmful for lawns. But clovers actually add nitrogen into soil -- so they are partially more helpful than other types of grass weeds. It certainly isn’t the worst grass weed to have to deal with.

Plantains

Plantains are of two types -- broadleaf and buckhorn. These are major grass weeds that need to be checked to maintain the aesthetic beauty of your garden without causing any undue damage. They cannot survive in extremely cold climates and tend to remain dormant in this season.

Plantains are a major weed problem due to the following reasons:

They have large leaves and grow in dense groups. This makes them a menace on playgrounds and turfs.

It also kills the aesthetic appeal of landscapes.

Plantains are difficult to remove as they are dense and have deep roots.

Common Knotweed

Common knotweed is seen all around gardens across the world. They are annual weeds that usually survive throughout the year. Common knotweed grows in winter when the moisture and temperature conditions are conducive to its growth. This knotweed spreads very easily and forms ‘mats’ of weeds.

Some of the common problems associated with knotweed are:

Invades grass and other fields at a very fast pace.

They spread rapidly through lawn mowers. That’s why knotweed must be removed completely before mowing.

They host a variety of insects and bacteria that are harmful for the turf or grass. They will damage all the healthy plantations around them and cause your grass to look discolored and damaged.

Growth Pattern

Common knotweed thrives in compacted soil.

It is commonly found after winters or when heavy activity is undertaken in gardens.

They are often seen in paths, walkways and playgrounds.

Their roots are strong and can go as deep as 18 inches.

Appearance

It appears on the ground with sparse bluish green leaves on long stems.

Prevention and Removal

Prevent the growth by following these soil aeration methods to prevent soil from compacting.

Get an aerator machine from your local home improvement store or you can get aerator boots with sharp edged spikes for aeration.

Dig holes into the soil to enable it to breathe and absorb fresh air and water.

Soil aeration also helps to promote the growth of new and healthier green grass.

A number of herbicides are also available for knotweed removal.

Prickly Lettuce

Prickly lettuce is a very commonly seen weed. They grow towards the end of summer and thrive in winter months. It invades high nutrient and well-fertilized soil -- proving to be a big problem for other necessary plants around them. Their pollination is like a Dandelion and they spread by the wind.

Growth Pattern

They follow this growth pattern:

Leaves are usually 2 to 14 inches long and emit a white milky sap when cut.

Prickly lettuce has taproots that go down more than 20 inches.

Appearance

Prickly lettuce has broad leaves and tiny prickles on the bottom of the leaf.

Prevention and Removal

Prickly lettuce is difficult to remove with your hands alone.

It’s best to get rid of prickly lettuce by removing the weed when it is a sapling.

Foxtail

Foxtail is a summer weed that is often confused with crabgrass. But Foxtail is not as common as crabgrass. This weed does not require high moisture content to grow.

Growth Pattern

Its growth starts at the beginning of winter and it reaches full maturity around mid winter. It can thrive in very low soil fertility. This means it can grow at a very fast pace if left unattended for extended periods of time.

Appearance

It is light green in tone with long leaves.

Prevention and Removal

Use the following methods for prevention and removal.

It’s best to get rid of this weed by using proper herbicides when the seeds have just sprouted.

Growth Pattern

This breaks out into three leaflets, green berries or clusters on the ground cover or shrubs.

Removal

Follow these methods for removal:

Add a deep layer of mulch on the ground cover to prevent it from affecting your garden.

Spot treat it with herbicides when you have to remove it.

Additional Tip: Poison ivy contains certain oils that may cause skin allergies for many people who touch it. The oils are present on the dead leaves and can be strewn into the air when the plant is burned. Appropriate gloves and clothing should be worn when dealing with poison ivy.

Black Nightshade

This broadleaf annual is commonly found in garden or landscaped areas that have rich soil in shade or sun. Backyards with sufficient shade and dense vegetation are vulnerable to black nightshade grass weed.

Growth Pattern

Black nightshade grows to a height of 2 feet and a similar width.

Appearance

Black nightshade is a climbing or bushy plant that emits purple or white flowers and fruits.

Prevention and Removal

Prevention and removal can be undertaken using the following methods:

Spread mulch around the ground cover to prevent it from growing on the lawns.

Pull out by hands.

Treat with an appropriate herbicide.

Additional Tip: Every single element on this plant and fruits are poisonous. Homeowners should wear appropriate clothing if dealing with this type of grass weed.

Conclusion​

Weeds are a common occurrence throughout the year. It does not matter where you are in the world. There is no doubt whether grass weeds will affect your garden. It is much more a question of when it will affect your garden.

So never assume that your garden is immune from it.

Weeds can never be prevented from growing. You must ensure that your landscape is constantly maintained to control grass weed growth to keep it to a minimum.

Keep in mind that regular lawn maintenance is the only solution to prevent grass weeds from taking over your garden and ruining your healthy plants.